Well, in a few minutes, I head off once again to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Everything is packed, and it's just a case doing a final check. The elves are happy that I'll be gone, but they promise to take care of the place and keep everything here running. We'll see how good a job they do.

The drive takes a bit under four hours, and it's not one of the more exciting trips one will ever be on, largely through the desert. Actually, it's the first couple hours that are pretty bland, except for a short passage through the Angeles National Forest, but finally when you get in the heart of the Mojave Desert the drive does get somewhat enjoyable. That's ab out when you pass by the tiny town of Baker, which is the gateway into Death Valley National Park. I like desert formations, and have camped in a variety of desert locations in the past, and appreciate the openness. (I haven't camped at Death Valley, but did stay there a couple of times, and it's quite wonderful. Not in the summer though...) By the way, just south of Baker - towards Los Angeles -- is an even tinier town with one of the more uncommon names you'll come across: Zzyzyx.

Crossing the state line into Nevada, the drive returns to somewhat bland, but at that point you know you're only about a half hour from Las Vegas, so you're near enough to your destination that it pulls you on. (Right there on the border is the "town" of Primm, Nevada.

Primm is where I stay on my last night. I always check out of my hotel in Las Vegas a day early -- then, after this last day at CES, I drive to Primm instead. That gives me a 30-minute shorter drive back to Los Angeles the next day. It turns out, too, that's there's a huge, impressive outlet mall in Primm, which I think I've described in the past. Major stores, like Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, DKNY, Lacoste, Tommy Bahama, Williams-Sonoma, Ann Taylor, Tommy Hilfiger, and a lot more. I don't do a lot of shopping, but I do wander around and occasionally pick up something. There are a few nice hotels in Primm -- one quite nice -- and even a couple of good restaurant outlets. One is a branch of the Original Pancake House, a great small chain that has branches in Chicago in conjunction with Walker Bros. And the other is a branch of the Mad Greek, a fairly good and popular restaurant in, of all places, Baker. I tend to eat at the latter, since I go to Walker Bros./The Original Pancake House when I go back to Chicago. Besides which, I like Greek food.

Anyway, I don't know what postings will be like here for the next few days. I'll try to write at least something each day. It may all be about technology, but who knows? Something else might crop up, and I'll have time to write about it. But it's all pretty hectic, so we'll see. But even if just technology, I find CES a pretty intriguing place, as much a circus as anything. What I call Disney for adults.

Leave a Reply.

Author

Robert J. Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, and is a regular columnist for the Huffington Post and the Writers Guild of America. Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel. As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.